Mountain Scholar :: Browsing by Author "Cleary, Anne, committee member"

Browsing by Author "Cleary, Anne, committee member"

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Open Access
A binding deficit: value-directed remembering for item-specific vs. associative information
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) DeLozier, Sarah J., author; Rhodes, Matthew G., advisor; Davalos, Deana, committee member; Folkestad, James, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member
In a series of four experiments I examined whether value enhanced memory for item-specific or associative information. Value indicated the importance of an item at study (i.e., 1 point = low importance, 12 points = high importance), with memory typically being enhanced for high-value information (e.g., Castel, 2008). Utilizing the feature-conjunction paradigm, in which recognition errors for conjunction lures provide a means of examining whether value-enhanced recognition is a result of recollection or familiarity, the Pilot Experiment revealed through increased conjunction errors that value enhanced memory only for item-specific information. In Experiment 1 participants were permitted to self-pace their study and made confidence learning judgments (CLJs) after each recognition judgment. Learners spent more time studying higher-valued words yet demonstrated a similar pattern of increased conjunction errors by value. In Experiment 2, participants were instructed to use either rote repetition or interactive imagery for all words at study. Under these controlled study strategy conditions, conjunction errors were similar across values. In Experiment 3, I examined the influence of value on feature lures. When both feature lures and conjunction lures were presented at test, learners' susceptibility to lures was similar across values, yet learners correctly recognized more high-value old words. Results indicated that both encoding processes and item-based familiarity may contribute to a deficit in binding components of high-value words. These findings are discussed in terms of the negative effects of value on memory for associative information.
Open Access
A policy-capturing study of preferences for differing training factors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Willis, Colin, author; Kraiger, Kurt, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Fisher, Gwen, committee member; Maynard, Travis, committee member
The present study applied policy-capturing, a methodology in which subjects act as their own control, to assess the utility of 32 different training scenarios. These scenarios were composed from levels of four different cues, or components, of training: whether the trainee was a new hire or tenured employee, whether the training content taught human or technical skills, whether the training method was classroom-based, computer-based, a blend of the two, or mobile-based, and whether the learning occurred individually or as part of a group. These cues were fully crossed to build the scenarios, so that participants saw every possible combination of the cues across the scenarios. Participants, who on average reported working fulltime, being with their organization for at least six years, and taking over 30 training courses across their career, were asked to rate these scenarios on how useful the training would be for them and for their job and to give an overall rating to the scenario. Additionally, participants reported their prior training experience, motivation to learn, role conflict, role overload, role ambiguity, and age. It was hypothesized that: (a) Each cue would each explain a significant proportion of variance in scenario ratings; (b) participants would combine cues interactively, and these interaction terms would explain a significant proportion of variance in scenario ratings; (c) more motivated to learn participants would combine cues interactively more frequently than less motivated participants; (d) more potentially stressed individuals would prefer less restrictive training methods (i.e., computer-based or mobile-based methods); (e) more experienced participants would combine cues interactively more frequently than less experienced participants; and (f) scenario ratings would decrease as age increased. Results were modeled at two levels – between and within subjects – and the results supported the notion that potential trainees have stable preferences for different training scenarios, these preferences vary across prior training experience and motivation to learn, and conceptions about training are formed prior to training. These results support the future exploration of training preferences, specifically how other cues might influence preferences, whether these preferences influence later training evaluations, and whether designing future training to match, even generally, the preferences of trainees improves training learning or transfer outcomes.
Open Access
An exploration of varying attentional focus strategies on the exercise experience
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Oselinsky, Katrina, author; Graham, Daniel, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Thomas, Micheal, committee member; Hickey, Matthew, committee member
Background: Research indicates attentional focus (AF) has a significant impact on the overall exercise experience, however, little is known regarding how AF manipulations via the use of distracting technology exerts a beneficial influence on the exercise experience. Additionally, the effect of varying AF strategies on the exercise experience may vary based on individual characteristics and/or familiarity with the exercise task. Purpose: The goal of Study 1 was to determine if distinct exerciser profiles could be created from a sample of group fitness participants. The goal of Study 2 was to determine if AF mediates the relationship between immersive virtual reality (VR) technology and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE)/enjoyment during an exercise session. Methods: In Study 1, a sample of group fitness participants (n=31) completed one traditional cycling class in which only audio cues were presented (AUD) and one video-enhanced immersive cycling class (IMM) in which a combination of music and video images was presented. After each cycling session, participants complete a brief survey that asked them to rate their perceived exertion, AF, and enjoyment of the exercise sessions. In Study 2, additional study volunteers (n=84) were randomly assigned to complete either an audio-only cycling class or an immersive VR-enhanced cycling class in which a combination of music and video images was presented. After cessation of the exercise session, participants completed a brief survey regarding their experiences in which they reported their recalled, in-task AF, RPE, and level of exercise enjoyment. Results: Study 1 leveraged Latent profile analysis (LPA) which indicated three, distinct classes could be drawn from the sample of 31 group fitness participants. These classes were classified as Low Heart Rate (HR) Dissociator, High HR Dissociator, and Associator. Results of Study 2 indicated AF did not act as a mediator relating immersive technology with RPE and exercise enjoyment (n=84). Additionally in Study 2, experimental condition did not have a significant influence on AF, RPE, or enjoyment directly, however, post-hoc, exploratory analyses revealed that average heart rate and time spent working in a moderate to vigorous heart rate zone (i.e., time spent at 70% or greater of age calculated heart rate maximum) were significantly greater in the immersive video enhanced condition than the audio only. Conclusions: Study 1 expands on the extant literature by elucidating the different attentional focus techniques used by different groups of exercisers and the varying response patterns of these sub-groups on commonly assessed exercise experience variables. Study 1 demonstrates the need for a deeper exploration of how individual characteristics differentially impact the exercise experience and how emerging analytical techniques can be employed to create more targeted interventions. Study 2 suggests that although AF was not a mediator relating immersive technology to RPE and exercise enjoyment, this technology does seem to exert a beneficial influence on the exercise experience as evidenced by the increased work rate found in this study. The results of Study 2 suggest future research should seek to identify other causal mechanisms that explain how immersive technology exerts its beneficial influence on the exercise experience.
Open Access
Attentional demands do affect amplitudes of N1 and N2 in the sensory gating paradigm in neurotypical adults and children
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Phelan, Shannon E., author; Davies, Patricia, advisor; Gavin, William, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member
Past research has shown that N1 and N2 ERP components may be related to attention; however, few studies have measured N1 and N2 amplitudes when attention was manipulated. In this study, two ERP sensory gating paradigms were used in which attention was manipulated by requiring participants either to focus their attention on the auditory stimuli (FA) or to watch a movie that distracted them from the auditory stimuli (SGM). To examine the relationship of N1 and N2 amplitudes to performance on three types of attention (selective, sustained, and control/switch) all participants completed the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch). Participants were 23 healthy adults aged 20-30 and 20 typically developing children aged 6-10. Across both groups, N1 amplitude was significantly larger for the FA compared to the SGM paradigm, F(1, 36) = 40.62, p < .001, and for the first click compared to the second, F(1, 36) = 40.62, p < .001. Adults showed larger N1 amplitudes compared to children and group main effect approached but did not reach significance, F(1,36) = 3.211, p = .082. Across both groups, N2 amplitude showed a trend for being larger in the SGM compared to the FA paradigm, F(1, 23) = 3.91, p = .06, and the first click was significantly larger than the second, F(1, 23) = 22.38, p < .001. Adults showed a trend for larger N2 amplitudes compared to children although group main effect did not reach significance, F(1,23) = 1.841, p = .188. For N2, significant interactions for paradigm x group, F(1, 23) = 4.12, p = .05, and click x group, F(1, 23) = 5.21, p = .03 were found. Separate regression analyses controlling for group membership revealed that subtest scores from all subsystems on the TEA-Ch were significant predictors of N1 amplitude for click 2 in the FA paradigm only; selective attention and control/switch attention subtest scores were the strongest predictors. Sustained attention and control/switch attention subtest scores of the TEA-Ch significantly predicted N2 amplitudes for click 1 in the FA paradigm only. The results suggest that N1 amplitude increases when attention is directed towards the task for adults and children alike. Alternatively, N2 amplitude shows a trend for increased amplitude when attention is directed away from the stimuli and children respond differently than adults. N1 has shown that it may represent a more global type of attention while N2 may be related to an ability to dismiss information.
Open Access
Constructivism and the phenomenology of moral deliberation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Ponzo, Alexander, author; Tropman, Elizabeth, advisor; Gorin, Moti, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member
In this thesis I claim that constructivism is an attractive positon when it comes to explaining the nature of moral facts. The central tenet of constructivism is that moral facts are a function of what actual (or hypothetical) people think. According to constructivism, if it is true (for example) that murder is morally wrong, it is because some actual (or hypothetical) person or group of people under certain conditions thinks that murder is morally wrong. A primary competitor to constructivism is realism. Realism denies the central tenet of constructivism and instead holds that moral facts are objective; this means that the truth of moral facts does not depend on any person's or group of persons' attitudes regarding the object of moral evaluation. For realists, then, if murder is morally wrong it is not because any (actual or hypothetical) person or group of people thinks that it is wrong; for realists, this fact obtains regardless of what anyone thinks about it. I argue in Chapter One that there is a significant epistemological problem with the claim that moral facts are objective; namely, that it is hard to see how we could have moral knowledge if the truth of moral facts is not a function of what we think. I argue in Chapter Two that constructivism does not share the epistemological problem that realism has. This problem is significant and it should be enough, I submit, to push us into accepting constructivism over realism. While I devote the first chapter (and some of the second) to explaining what constructivism is and how it compares to other competing theories, this is not the only task of this thesis. My other central task is to examine two specific versions of constructivism—namely, the respective theories of Christine Korsgaard and Sharon Street—and find out whether each theory can maintain a plausible phenomenology of moral deliberation. In other words, I am interested in finding out whether each version of constructivism can give a plausible account of what it is like for people to engage in moral deliberation. Since it's possible to study the phenomenology of moral deliberation empirically (or by plausible speculation), we can compare how moral deliberation is actually experienced—or at least how it seems to be experienced—with how it would likely be experienced if the theories in question were true. Ultimately, I argue that the phenomenology of moral deliberation occasioned by Korsgaard's position is more plausible than the one occasioned by Street's because Korsgaard's position does a better job of preserving what we tend to think the experience of moral deliberation is like. A summation of this thesis can be given in the following way: I make a presumptive case for constructivism and, specifically, I argue that Korsgaard's constructivism is more attractive than Street's because, among other things, the phenomenology of moral deliberation occasioned by Korsgaard's position is more plausible than the one occasioned by Street's.
Open Access
Disambiguating ambiguity: influence of various levels of uncertainty on neural systems mediating choice
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Lopez Paniagua, Dan, author; Seger, Carol, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Draper, Bruce, committee member; Troup, Lucy, committee member
Previous studies have dissociated two types of uncertainty in decision making: risk and ambiguity. However, many of these studies have categorically defined ambiguity as a complete lack of information regarding outcome probabilities, thereby precluding the study of how various neural substrates may acknowledge and track levels of ambiguity. The present study provided a novel paradigm designed to address how decisions are made under varying states of uncertainty, ranging from risk to ambiguity. More important, the present study was designed to address limitations of previous studies looking at decision making under uncertainty: explore neural regions sensitive to hidden but searchable information by parametrically controlling the amount of information hidden from the subject by using different levels of ambiguity manipulations instead of just the one, as used in previous studies, and allowed subjects to freely choose the best option. Participants were asked to play one of two lotteries, one uncertain and one certain. Throughout the task, the certain lottery offered to participants was always a 100% chance of winning $1. This was contrasted by the uncertain lottery in which various probabilities of winning (20%, 33%, 50 % or 80%) were combined with different potential gains (2$, 3$, 5$, or 8$) so that expected values ranged from being better, equal or worse than the expected value of the certain lottery. In our lotteries, the probability of winning or losing any given amount of money was indicated along the borders of the wheel, increasing from 0% to 100% in a clockwise direction starting at the 12 o'clock position. For some uncertain lotteries and all certain lotteries, a "dial" explicitly indicated the probability of winning. For some uncertain lotteries, there was no dial to indicate a specific probability. Instead, a blinder that covered a portion of the wheel occluded the dial. This occlusion represented the possible range of percentages in which the actual probability of winning lay. Finally, the blinder covered 15%, 33%, 66%, 80% or 100% of the wheel in order to vary the level of ambiguity. By manipulating the level of ambiguity, we were able to explore neural responses to different types of uncertainty ranging from risk to full ambiguity. Participants completed this task while BOLD contrast images were collected using a 3T MR scanner. Here, we show that both risk and ambiguity share a common network devoted to uncertainty processing in general. Moreover, we found support for the hypothesis that regions of the DLPFC might subserve contextual analysis when search of hidden information is both necessary and meaningful in order to optimize behavior in a decision making task; activation in the DLPFC peaked when the degraded information could be resolved by additional cognitive processing. Our results help to underscore the importance of studying varying degrees of uncertainty, as we found evidence for different neural responses for intermediate and high levels of ambiguity that are easy to ignore depending on how ambiguity is defined. Additionally, our results help reconcile two different accounts of brain activity during ambiguous decision making, one suggesting that uncertainty increases linearly and another suggesting ambiguity processing is greater at intermediate levels. The graded coding of uncertainty we reported may reflect a unified neural treatment of risk and ambiguity as limiting cases of a general system evaluating uncertainty mediated by the DLPFC which then recruits different regions of the prefrontal cortex as well as other valuation and learning systems according to the inherent difficulty of a decision.
Open Access
Does retrieval activate related words more than presentation?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Hausman, Hannah, author; Rhodes, Matthew G., advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Davalos, Deana, committee member; Burzynska, Agnieszka Z., committee member
Retrieving information enhances learning more than restudying. One explanation of this effect is based on the role of mediators (e.g., sand-castle can be mediated by beach). Retrieval is hypothesized to activate mediators more than restudying, but existing tests of this hypothesis have had mixed results (Carpenter, 2011; Lehman & Karpicke, 2016). The present experiments explored different explanations of the conflicting results. The pilot experiment tested—and found no evidence—that the results depended on whether a conceptual or perceptual measure of mediator activation was used. Experiments 1 and 2 tested whether mediator activation during a retrieval attempt depends on the accessibility of the target information. A target was considered less versus more accessible when fewer retrieval versus more cues were given during retrieval practice (Experiment 1), when the target had been studied once versus three times initially (Experiment 2), or when the target could not be recalled versus could be recalled during retrieval practice (Experiments 1 and 2). Although there was a trend for retrieval to activate mediators more than presentation, mediator activation was not reliably related to target accessibility. Thus, Experiments 1 and 2 neither strongly supported, nor disconfirmed, the role of mediators in enhancing learning from retrieval.
Open Access
Evaluating the impact of a novel immersive simulation on affect, rate of perceived exertion, and attention during a group cycling class
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Oselinsky, Katrina, author; Graham, Daniel, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Tompkins, Sara, committee member; Hickey, Matthew, committee member
Background: Emerging evidence within the exercise psychology literature has highlighted the importance of positive affective responses to physical activity (PA) for both PA adoption and maintenance. A potential avenue to increase positive affective responses to PA is through attentional focus. Purpose: The goal of this study was to examine the impact of a novel immersive technology on participants attentional focus, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), affect, and enjoyment during a group cycling class. Methods: Participants were asked to take one traditional group cycling class with audio cues only (AUD) and one video enhanced immersive cycling class (IMM). Heart rate (HR) data was gathered throughout each class. At the conclusion of each session, participants completed a brief survey asking them to report their RPE, attentional focus, and affect during the cycling class. Results: Participants on average reported lower RPEs and higher enjoyment in the IMM class compared to the AUD class. Although attention was not significantly different between classes, when instructor was held constant, participants reported significantly more dissociative attentional focus during the IMM class than the AUD class. Finally, HR did not differ significantly between classes. Conclusions: To combat the rising rates of physical inactivity researchers must strive to make the PA experience more enjoyable. This study supports the use of a novel immersive technology to lower RPE and increase enjoyment without compromising actual exertion.
Open Access
Implications for automation assistance in unmanned aerial system operator training
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Blitch, John G., author; Clegg, Benjamin A., advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Anderson, Charles, committee member
The integration of automated modules into unmanned systems control has had a positive impact on operational effectiveness across a variety of challenging domains from battlefields and disaster areas to the National Airspace and distant planets. Despite the generally positive nature of such technological progress, however, concerns for complacency and other automation-induced detriments have been established in a growing body of empirical literature derived from both laboratory research and operational reviews. Given the military's demand for new Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) operators, there is a need to explore how such concerns might extend from the operational realm of experienced professionals into the novice training environment. An experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of automation on training efficiency using a Predator UAS simulator developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in a modified replication of previous research. Participants were trained in a series of basic maneuvers, with half receiving automated support only on a subset of maneuvers. A subsequent novel landing test showed poorer performance for the group that received assistance from automation during training. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Open Access
Is judgment reactivity really about the judgment?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Myers, Sarah J., author; Rhodes, Matthew, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Fisher, Gwen, committee member; Folkestad, James, committee member
A common research tool used to measure one's understanding of their own learning is to collect judgments of learning (JOLs), whereby participants indicate how likely they are to remember information on a later test. Importantly, recent work has demonstrated that soliciting JOLs can impact true learning and memory, referred to as JOL reactivity. However, the underlying cognitive processes that are impacted when learners make JOLs and that lead to later reactivity effects are not yet well-understood. To better elucidate the mechanisms that drive JOL reactivity, I examined how changing the method of soliciting JOLs impacts reactivity. In Experiment 1, I manipulated how long participants had to make their JOLs; in Experiment 2, I compared JOLs made on a percentage scale versus a binary (yes/no) scale; and in Experiment 3 participants were required to explain why they made some of their JOLs. Judgments that require or allow for more in-depth processing (i.e., longer time in Experiment 1, percentage scales in Experiment 2, explaining in Experiment 3) should require more effort from participants to make their judgments. If these more effortful judgments lead to larger reactivity effects, it would suggest that reactivity is driven by processes that occur when making JOLs. However, findings from the experiments did not support this account. Although some differences in reactivity effects were seen after making binary and explaining JOLs compared to percentage JOLs, the hypothesis that more cognitive effort would result in stronger reactivity was not supported. Therefore, results suggest that the mere presence of JOLs during study may cause a general shift in participants' learning approach, resulting in later JOL reactivity.
Open Access
Lifecycle assessment modeling and encouraging reuse in the corrugated packaging industry using persuasion and operant conditioning
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Ketkale, Harshwardhan, author; Simske, Steve, advisor; Miller, Erika, committee member; Conrad, Steve, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member
Greenhouse gas emission is a major contributor to climate change and global warming. Many sustainability efforts are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These include recycling and the use of renewable energy. In the case of recycling, the general population is typically required to at least temporarily store, and possibly haul, the materials rather than simply throwing them away. This effort from the general population is a key aspect of recycling, and in order for recycling to work, some investment of time and effort is required by the public. In the case of corrugated cardboard boxes, it has been observed that there is less motivation for the general population to recycle them. Also, the manufacturing of a product such as a corrugated cardboard box (CCB) includes the extraction of a variety of raw materials in addition to supply chain efforts to get the raw materials to the industry. The extraction of raw material and its supply chain as well as the unproper end of lifecycle phase can significantly impact the carbon emission of a product over its lifecycle. This research explores different means of motivating people to reuse, and not just recycle, with different types of incentives. It addresses the use of persuasion techniques and operant conditioning techniques together to incentivize the general population to adopt sustainable efforts. Further, this study makes an attempt to segment the general population based on age, gender, persuasion preferences, operant condition preferences, personality types, awareness of environment/climate change as well as current recycling effort of the participants to use different forms of incentives and motivational work unlike any approaches found in the literature review. Four types of persuasion techniques and four types of operant conditioning are combined to give 16 different types of incentives. Three online surveys are conducted, and their data are analyzed (using entropy, Hamming distance, t-test, chi-square, and ANOVA). The results indicate that "positive reinforcement + ethos" is a cost-effective way to incentivize the general population. This study also conducts a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) that gives the carbon emission of each phase of the product and a quantitative estimate of the overall product carbon footprint and its effect on the environment. This gives impetus to recommendations for improving the phases of the lifecycle to minimize carbon emissions. This research uses LCA to evaluate the carbon emission in each phase of the lifecycle of a typical 1 kg corrugated cardboard box in the United States. Carbon emission for the proposed "reuse" phase is also calculated, and the results are compared. To examine if the incremental cost of reusing the CCBs is less than the environmental and economic cost of reducing the extraction and supply chain of raw materials, this study explores the economic feasibility of the proposed "reuse" method that incentivizes the general population to reuse the CCBs instead of recycling or landfilling them. Economic tools such as willingness-to-pay vs. marginal cost curves and benefit-cost analyses are used to evaluate economic feasibility. The results indicate that the "reuse" method for CCBs is economically and environmentally feasible. It also supports the approach of using analytics, economics, and LCA to create a model that can be used for other products and processes as an evaluative process to determine if businesses can benefit from the reduction (or removal) of material extraction costs from the supply chain. The results of this study can be applied to a wide range of applications such as solar panels, incentives for vaccination, and other areas wherein sustainability-centric behavior is encouraged.
Open Access
Strategic encoding and episodic discrimination (SEED) model of error correction
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Hausman, Hannah, author; Rhodes, Matthew G., advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Graham, Dan, committee member; Folkstead, James, committee member
Despite what many students and teachers believe, making errors while learning can improve long-term learning of correct information. This paper proposes the Strategic Encoding and Episodic Discrimination (SEED) model of error correction, which proposes that in comparison to errorless learning, making errors while learning enables individuals to effectively adapt how they encode the correct answer and then, on a later memory test, use episodic memory to discriminate between the correct answer and other information that may be retrieved. Experiment 1 tested the strategic encoding component of SEED and found that errorful learning enhanced memory relative to errorless learning, but the benefits of errorful learning could not be explained by strategic adaptations in study times. Experiment 2 tested both the strategic encoding and episodic discrimination components of SEED and contrasted SEED with other accounts of error correction. The results of Experiment 2 were largely consistent with SEED and revealed that errorful learning enhanced memory by both increasing the likelihood that the correct answer was retrieved on the final test and improving participants' ability to distinguish between correct and incorrect answers.
Open Access
Testing effects for self-generated versus experimenter-generated questions
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Myers, Sarah J., author; Rhodes, Matthew, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Folkestad, James, committee member
Those familiar with the testing effect (i.e., the finding that practicing retrieval improves memory) frequently suggest that students test themselves while studying for their classes. However, it is unclear whether students benefit from testing if they are not provided with testing materials. Few studies have examined whether generating one's own test questions improves performance, and none of these studies have given participants a full retrieval opportunity. The proposed experiments bridged this gap between testing effect and question generation research by allowing participants to generate questions and attempt to answer those questions after a delay. In Experiment 1, participants generated test questions over passages and either answered their questions as they created them or after a delay. In Experiment 2, participants either generated questions and answered them after a delay (i.e., self-testing), answered experimenter- generated questions, or restudied the material. Both experiments found no benefits of self-testing compared to the other conditions. In fact, those who self-tested tended to have worse final test performance than the other conditions. Analyses of the questions that participants created suggest that students may benefit more from self-testing when they generate more questions and those questions target material that is on the final test. Although further research is needed to confirm these conclusions (e.g., longer delays between study activities and final test), the current study suggests that testing may not always benefit learning if students must create their own questions.
Open Access
The development and validation of the Mentoring Functions Measure
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Rechlin, Alexandra M., author; Kraiger, Kurt, advisor; Gibbons, Alyssa, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Chermack, Thomas, committee member
This study developed and provided validation evidence for a new measure of mentoring functions, the Mentoring Functions Measure (MFM). Existing measures of mentoring functions suffer from flaws that the present study aimed to reduce or eliminate. This study had three primary goals: (1) to develop a new measure of mentoring functions, (2) to provide reliability and validity evidence for the measure, and (3) to connect the measure to socioemotional selectivity theory, a theory of aging. In the first phase of the study, 98 items were created based on dimensions that had been used in previous research. These items were reviewed by subject matter experts (SMEs), after which the number of items was reduced to 78. In the second phase, the measure was further refined after being completed by 487 participants in the United States through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk); all participants were currently in an informal mentoring relationship and working at least part-time. Through item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis, the MFM was refined and finalized. The MFM consists of 12 items, demonstrates good reliability evidence, and is comprised of three factors: Career functions, Trust & Acceptance functions, and Relationship functions. Construct validity evidence was obtained, with the MFM generally correlating more strongly with the MFQ-9 than with transformational or paternalistic leadership. Criterion-related validity evidence was also established, with MFM subscales predicting affective outcomes (job satisfaction and life satisfaction), health outcomes (burnout), and cognitive outcomes (personal learning). The MFM was expected to demonstrate known-groups validity evidence, using socioemotional selectivity theory; younger protégés were expected to prefer a mentor who exhibits more career functions, and older protégés were expected to prefer a mentor who exhibits more psychosocial functions. However, no significant differences were found in mentor preference based on protégé age. Due to the scale development best practices used to develop the MFM, as well as the reliability and validity evidence established in this study, the MFM can be used by both researchers and practitioners to measure mentoring functions.
Open Access
The influence of feedback on predictions of future memory performance
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Sitzman, Danielle Marie, author; Rhodes, Matthew, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Davalos, Deana, committee member; Robinson, Dan, committee member
The current experiments explored metacognitive beliefs about feedback. In Experiment 1, participants studied Lithuanian-English word pairs, took an initial test, were either shown correct answer feedback, right/wrong feedback, or no feedback. They then made a judgment of learning (JOL) regarding the likelihood of answering this item correctly on a later test. Participants were tested on the same word pairs during the final test. Although average JOLs were higher for items in the correct answer feedback condition, relative accuracy was impaired. Experiment 2 explored participants' beliefs about feedback by having half of them make JOLs prior to seeing an item (PreJOLs), with only knowledge of whether feedback would be provided. Participants in both the regular JOL and preJOL conditions provided higher average JOLs for items in the feedback condition than items in the no feedback condition; however relative accuracy was decreased for the feedback condition. In Experiment 3, participants went through a procedure similar to Experiment 1 twice, with two lists of word pairs. Metacognitive accuracy did not improve from List 1 to List 2. Lastly, Experiment 4 used scaffolded feedback to increase metacognitive accuracy. Participants corrected more errors if they could generate the correct response with fewer letter cues. However, relative judgments were not more accurate than the previous experiments. In sum, the current experiments suggest that participants may have a general understanding of the benefits of feedback; however, feedback diminishes prediction accuracy for specific items.
Open Access
The influence of testing on memory, monitoring, and control
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Littrell, Megan K., author; DeLosh, Edward, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; De Miranda, Michael, committee member; Kraiger, Kurt, committee member
The current set of experiments investigated the role of testing in enhancing subsequent memory performance, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. The current study also assessed whether testing improves assessments of learning and influences subsequent study behaviors that serve to further enhance learning. In Experiments 1 and 2 participants studied lists of words in an initial phase and then either restudied or took a memory test on the words in an intervening phase. They were also asked to predict the likelihood that they would recall each item on a later memory test and indicate whether or not they would like another chance to restudy the item before the final memory test. The difference between the two experiments was that in Experiment 1 participants were allowed to restudy the items they chose, whereas they were not allowed to restudy those items in Experiment 2. Results for both experiments showed that initial testing compared to restudying enhanced final memory accuracy, and produced stronger correlations between predictions of recall and actual recall and between predictions and restudy choices. Experiment 3 examined the effects of testing on predictions of memory and the allocation of study time given to each item. Additionally, some participants' study time choices were honored, while other participants' choices were not. This manipulation was included to examine the differential effects of having control over what materials are restudied, depending on whether they have been simply restudied or subjected to prior test. Overall, the data suggest that testing enhances memory performance as well as relative metacognitive judgments.
Open Access
The National Association for Music Therapy: a history from 1981 to 1985
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Bartoldus, Santana M. H., author; Davis, William B., advisor; LaGasse, A. Blythe, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member
Beginning in 1950, the National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT) served as the primary professional association for music therapists in the United States until the founding of the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT; originally known as the Urban Federation of Music Therapists) in 1971 and subsequent reunification of these associations into the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) in 1998. This study examines in detail the activities of NAMT from 1981 to 1985. During this time period, NAMT grew in membership, increased in stability, and contributed to many advances in the study and practice of music therapy. Important contributions to the field are identified and discussed, as are the individuals and groups whose efforts made these advances possible. The Association’s relocation of its national office, the first printing of Music Therapy Perspectives, the founding of the Certification Board for Music Therapists, and the first administration of the music therapy Board Certification exam are explored in detail as NAMT’s most lasting accomplishments during the early 1980s.
Open Access
The physiological measurement of employee engagement
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Weidert, Janet M., author; Byrne, Zinta, advisor; Kraiger, Kurt, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Hickey, Matthew, committee member
Previous assessments of employee engagement have all been self-report, creating the possibility for common method bias and a gap in assessing all components of the construct, especially the physiological component. The purpose of this study was to measure engagement using a physiological approach that reflects actual physical differences in individuals experiencing an engaged versus an unengaged state. In a within-subjects laboratory study, 40 college-aged participants were assessed using the BIOPAC physiological measuring system in both an engaged and an unengaged task condition. GSR findings indicate that a heightened level of arousal was present in the engaged versus unengaged task, but that the arousal level was not strong enough to produce an increase in heart rate. Implications of results are that we may want to re-evaluate how employee engagement is defined and how it is measured.
Open Access
Third generation training: an empirical investigation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Nelson, Tristan, author; Kraiger, Kurt, advisor; Gibbons, Alyssa, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Henle, Chris, committee member
Kraiger (2008b) outlined the differences between first, second, and third generation approaches to training design, and described the potential benefits of a third generation approach. The present study extends this work by further defining the components of a third generation approach and comparing it to a first generation approach using three commonly examined dependent variables: recall, near transfer, and far transfer. Results show no significant differences in trainee performance for participants in either the first or third generation training condition.
Open Access
Validating and implementing the informal learning behavior scale
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Willis, Colin Michael Groden, author; Kraiger, Kurt, advisor; Fisher, Gwen, committee member; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Maynard, Travis, committee member
The present study developed and tested a measure of informal learning behaviors for the workplace. Informal learning refers to any learning that occurs outside of formal and structured instructional settings. The literature has recently called for validated and reliable measures of informal learning, following a growing body of evidence that informal learning is both extremely prevalent in the workplace and important to high performance at work. Two connected studies were conducted to address this gap in the literature. In the first, a thorough literature review was conducted to identify a subset of informal learning that was intentional and observable at work. Six dimensions of informal learning were proposed to meet these criteria: planning, socializing, reflecting, experimenting, adapting, and scanning. Items were written and reviewed by subject matter experts. Participants were recruited from a research pool and an online MTurk pool to respond to the initial set of items and several additional scales used for convergent and discriminant validation. Analyses found strong support for a 23-item, five-factor model combining the planning and scanning dimensions and strong relationships between the dimensions and metacognition, motivation to learn, learning goal orientation, and a prior informal learning scale. Conversely, there were weak or negative relationships between the dimensions and prove performance goal orientation, as hypothesized. The second study was conducted to confirm the 23 item, five-factor model of the scale in a new, organizational sample and collect additional validity evidence by testing a model linking informal learning to self-regulation, support for learning, and job performance. Participants completed measures of the informal learning behavior scale, sleep quantity and quality, occupational self-efficacy, and support for learning in the organization. Responses were then matched to archival performance data. Analyses confirmed the hypothesized structure of the scale but found only some support for the proposed model. Sleep had no impact on either occupational self-efficacy or informal learning behaviors. Perceived support for learning was not related to informal learning behaviors. Occupational self-efficacy was related to informal learning, and the experimenting dimension predicted both job performance and job potential. The resulting scale is a reliable measure of five informal learning behavioral dimensions with a developing body of validity evidence supporting its use.